Belt-buckle



W. G. AHRENDT.

BELT BUCKLE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. I8. 1920.'

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

ATTURNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. AIIEENDT, 0E NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

BELT-BUCKLE.

Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

vApplication led February 18, 1920. Serial No. 359,636.

To all whom t may concer/1i Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. AHRENDT,

a citizen of the YUnited States, and a resident' of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Im'-` proved Belt-Buckle, of which the following is a description.

Myinvention relatesV to belt buckles and more particularly relates to the type of belt bucklein Vwhich a'grippingV element is arranged` to haveslidring movement longitudinally of the buckle for effecting a gripping action on the belt.

"The general object'of the inventionisl tov provide a buckle of the indicated type im@ proved in Vvarious particulars, more especially withV respect to the belt-gripping means, more specic objectsl being to provide a buckle of. simple form possessing strength and presenting an attractive appearance when worn.

The nature ofthe invention and its advantages willV clearly appear from the specie ,description following.

Reference is to be had to the accompany-v ing drawings forming a part of this speciication, it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative oi one example of the'invention.

Figure 1 is a ront view of the belt buckle embodying my invention, showing the same appliedto a belt shown in part;

vFig. 2 representsl a horizontal section of the buckle, a portionV of the belt being shown; Y Y

Fig. 3 is a cross section through the buckle on the line 343, Fig. 1, the belt being omitted Fig. 4 isa rear view of the buckle.

In carrying out my invention in accord-l ance withthe illustrated example, the buckle body is formed with a face plate 10 whichf may be of'any approved design, said plate being here shown as substantially plain.

The material forniingthe buckle is returned rearwardly integral with thepfaceplate 10' to produce longitudinal side members 11 which preferably are somewhat convergent rearwardly, the material being continued laterally at the Aback of the buckle andV formed to present longitudinal i'lat side bars 12 integral with lthe sides 11. The buckle body is madetapering or at all events is made to present an interiorpassageway for the vbelt A, convergent` toward that end 13 receiving the free end of the belt, to be ad- ]ustably secured; this is brought about in the illustrated example by giving the buckle body a wedge-like form, so that it tapers bodily toward the end 13.

In connection with the body as described I arrange a slide 14 consisting of a back plate or base lying at the back of the buckle, that is to say, outside of the rear longitudinal bars 12 and said slide at its inner side is given a formation to. engage and grip the belt A when the latter is passedV through the buckle body. ln the form shown the slide is formed with a transverse element 15 applied to the inner side thereof and protruding into the interior of the buckle to lie in the passageway of the belt. The inner surface of member 15 in the preferred form of the invention is of such a character as to cause the slide to engage and grip the belt along a definite line or lines, the illustrated exampleV presenting tapered surfaces convergent along approximately the medialV line of the slide. The buckle body is formed lat one end with cross bar 18 forming a tie between the fiat back bars 12 and in the Vsame plane therewith, and thereby strengthening the buckle, besides constituting a stop limiting Ythe movement of the slide 14 in one direcn tion. l

The slide 14 presents lateral slots or recesses 16 at the endsV of the gripping element 15, so that the ends of the element overlap the back bars 12 at the inner sides of the latter and the base plate of the slide or back of the slide 14 overlaps said back bars 12 and extends slightly beyond the lsame and therefore slightly beyond Vthe inner edges of the sides 11 of the buckle body.` Thus, the slide engages the bars 12 both at the interior of the buckle and at the exterior and in a manner that the slide is constrained to have a parallel movement and is prevented from assuming an angle that would cause it to bind at its end against the buckle body.

The loop 19 about which the belt is returned at one end as at B and the buckle made tast to the belt, is formed with a tubular attaching member 20, the ends of whichV receive inwardly directedtongues 21 constituting trunnions for said loop, said bendable to force or spring the tongues 21 into the ends of the tubular ends of said attaching member 20. Y

It will be obvious from the foregoing that the grippingaction of the slide is brought about in a very simple manner and by a very simple `construction because of the tapering interior or belt passage-way and this being due in the preferred form as illustratedby the tapering of the buckle body itself as distinguished from the formation of inclined slots or similar inclined guideways formed in the sides of the buckle body. Moreover, by the arrangement shown the slidelt may be gripped in either of two ways, that is to say, the thumb may grasp the slide at the back surface when the thumb is passed to the back of the buckle, or the slide may be grasped by its soV opposite projecting ends 17, and operated for releasing the belt, the convergent forms of the sides 11 of the buckle body contributing to the facility with which this last-mentioned manner of operating the slide may be brought about. It will be clear also, that the strength of the buckle body is -not decreased in co-ordinating it with the gripping slide.

Ivwould state in conclusion that while the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly toV the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

lHaving thus described my invention, I claim': i

1,A belt buckle including a body presenting an interior longitudinal passageway for the belt, saidpassageway being tapered toward one end, and a slide having a substantially flat back plate disposed in a plane inthe rear of the plane of the back of said body and extending to the sides of the latter that its ends may be grasped for manipulating the blade, said ends between the Y front and back edges ofthe plate presenting depressions for the grasping of the plate and 'said plate being Vin substantially the vsame plane throughout, saidslide present-V ing aportion protruding into said passageway Vfor engagement with'the belt.

e. A beit buckle including a body` pre-` senting an interior longitudinal.. passageway Yfor the belt, said passageway being tapered toward one end, said body having sides thereof. in .planes converging rearwardly, a transversely disposed slide on said body at the back thereof and having guided longitudinal movement on said body adjacent,` to the sides, said slide having a back plate, the ends of which project beyond thev Y sides of the body to be grasped by the user,

said plate and its projecting ends being in substantially the same `plane throughout and in the rear of said body, said slide having a-member protruding Vinto said passage- 'senting an interior longitudinal passageway for the belt, said passageway being tapered toward one end, and a slide presenting a transverse back plate disposed in a plane rearward of the back of the body presenting a surface to be engaged by a finger passed behind the body, and means on said slide and protruding into said passageway for engagement with the belt, said back plate lying substantially in one plane throughout and extending at its sides to the planes of the outer surfaces of the sidesV of the body for convenient gripping,

4. A belt buckle including a'body presenting sides in rearwardly convergent planes, said body presentinga longitudinal passageway for the belt, said passageway being convergent toward an end of the body, and longitudinal bars rigid with said sides at'the back of the buckle, a slide presenting a back plate in substantially a single plane extending transversely of the buckle inthe rear thereof the ends of said plate overlapping said back bars to have longitudinal movement thereon, and gripping means on said slide within the buckle body and Voverlapping said bars at the interiorY of the buckle.

5. A belt buckle includinga body having at the back thereof side members presenting laterally disposed slots at one'end, and members similarly disposed and constituting trunnions, and a belt-attaching loop having a tubular member receiving said trunnions in the ends thereof. Y

6. A buckle including a body having at the back thereof longitudinally disposed at side bars and presenting an opening therebetween leading to the interior of the buckle, said interior presenting a longitudinalpassageway for the belt, said passageway being convergenttoward one end, a slide movable longitudinally of said body and extending into the interior of the buckle to engage a belt, said side members adjacentrto said end beingtransversely slotted and presenting trunnion members at said slots disposed laterally inward toward each other, and a belt-attaching loop having the inner portion thereof presenting tubular ends into which said trunnion members extend. Y

7. A belt buckle including a bodyV affording a longitudinal passage for the beltV and presenting longitudinal side bars at the backl of the buckle, and a transversely disposed slide on said body at' the back adapted to grip the belt, the ends of said slide being slotted and accommodating said side bars. Y 8. A belt buckle includinga body affording a longitudinalv passage for the belt and presenting convergent sides terminating in edge portions directed laterally inward and forming longitudinal guide bars disposed in the plane of the back of the body, and a slide on said body including a transverse back plate in the rear of said guide bar and overlapping the latter so that those edges adjacent to said convergent sides are directly accessible at said sides for gripping, to move said slide, there being a transverse gripping member on said back plate at the inner side thereof and lying in said passage7 said gripping member extending to the sides of the body and under said guide bars, said gripping member having slots therein slidably receiving said guide bars.

WILLIAM Gr. AHRENDT. 

